Palestinian resistance groups have continued to inflict significant casualties on Israeli forces in the Gaza conflict.
According to the Israeli army, 825 Israeli troops have been killed since the conflict began nearly 15 months ago. The latest casualty is 23-year-old Sergeant Uriel Peretz, who was killed in Beit Hanoun, northern Gaza, by an anti-tank missile fired by Hamas fighters. Several other soldiers were also injured in the attack.
Israeli army figures indicate that over 5,500 soldiers have been injured since the war with Hamas started on October 7, 2023. Additionally, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reports that more than 13,500 Israelis have sought treatment in the rehabilitation department of the regime’s war ministry due to injuries sustained during the conflict. The department reportedly admits about 1,000 new patients monthly, with over half of them under 30 years old and 43% experiencing psychological trauma.
The conflict escalated following Hamas’s surprise Al-Aqsa Storm Operation in southern Israel, which left more than 1,100 Israelis and foreigners dead and about 250 people taken captive. While some captives have been released, others remain in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to eliminate Hamas and secure the captives’ release but has yet to fulfill these promises.
Amid mounting battlefield losses, the Israeli army faces troop shortages, with increasing numbers of reservists reportedly refusing to report for duty. Calls for a ceasefire and negotiations to end the war and secure the captives’ release have grown within Israel, but Netanyahu has opposed efforts to reach a deal with Hamas.
In response to setbacks, Israel has intensified its military operations, including strikes on hospitals, citing claims that Hamas uses them as command centers—claims that remain unsubstantiated. The ongoing conflict has resulted in over 45,500 Palestinian deaths in Gaza since October of last year.
